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Showing posts from February, 2011

A view from inside the capitol - Madison 2.27.11

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As some of us, unfortunately, break from the capitol grounds to teach, take mid-terms exams, and otherwise fulfill our unrelenting obligations, others remain firm in the WI statehouse. Even as the fledgling governor tries to disperse the wholly peaceful, non-violent, democratic protesters in an attempt to buoy his image and minimize their impact to the media when he announces his new and ever more draconian budget, this determined bunch holds ground. (by TAA member Shahin Izadi, with sound by Jason Nolen) Stay strong, brothers and sisters! We'll back back with you soon! www.defendwisconsin.org

"We Are Wisconsin"

Fantastic video by Finn Ryan and David Nevala We Are Wisconsin from Finn Ryan on Vimeo .

Day 13 – On the Ground in Madison: “As Long as It Takes”

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Despite temperatures in the mid-teens and a steady snowfall, throngs of taxpaying citizens of Wisconsin assembled at the Madison capitol for the thirteenth consecutive day of the sustained protest of Governor Scott Walker’s budget “repair” bill. Saturday was not only the coldest, but the largest protest yet, with numbers reaching beyond the 70,000 in attendance last weekend.  In addition, thousands more rallied inside the capitol building. Walker likely anticipated citizens would withdraw by now and opt for the warmth and comfort of our homes, but we all remain resolute. The loss of momentum that the governor expects does not appear to be imminent.  Though crowds at the capitol have waxed and waned over the past six days, the determination of all the members of the “Kill the Bill” contingent has remained steady. Because we public sector workers, who are most directly affected by the bill, are committed professionals, and because the public depends upon us daily, many have added “prote

The Real Story Behind the Battle in Wisconsin

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As someone who has been involved in the protests in Madison for the past six days, I find the news media coverage of the momentous events in this town to in no way portray the reality of what is going on here. In their attempts to constantly be balanced, the news media seem to have lost all ability to be accurate. The mass protests by unions and their allies that have occurred in Madison, WI, resulted after an abrupt announcement by Governor Walker late last Friday, Feb. 11, that he was introducing and fast-tracking a so-called “Budget Repair” bill, which would not only deeply cut benefits to public workers, but effectively strip unions of all of their collective bargaining rights. The response to the Governor’s move was rapid and in no way orchestrated or long-planned – there was absolutely no possible time for that. By late Monday, Feb 14, the WI state legislature announced a hearing of the bill in the Joint Finance Committee which was open for public testimony. It was then that

Another Video of the Public Hearing on the WI "Budget Repair" Bill

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Speech to the Wisconsin State Joint Finance Committee Hearing

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On the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill 2/15/2011 I am a graduate teaching assistant with the TAA at UW Madison. As we’ve heard already, this bill has very little to do with repairing the state budget and everything to do with rescinding workers’ rights. The right to collective bargaining is in no way connected to balancing a budget. Taking away workers’ abilities to bargain for their contracts is completely undemocratic and dictatorial. Moreover, even if this bill had anything at all to do with repairing a budget, taking what small scraps are still held by those who have the least (and have the least to do with the deficit) while extending benefits to those who have the most—as the governor recently did by passing tax cuts to big businesses—is an unwise and misguided path toward destruction for the state. President George H. W. Bush called it “voodoo economics” and over the past two decades, he has consistently been proven correct. At no time in American history has the gap between